


Who Tells Your Story

by Nerd_Queen



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Gen, Leo goes on the not-ellen show, Long-Distance Relationship, heavily inspired by adam rippons ellen show interview, implied past jjbek, it goes back and forth a lot when he's telling the stories, leo is everything trump hates and owns it, leo loves lin manuel miranda and rudy galindo, real people are mentioned bc im too lazy to make fake ones, yes i believe otabek had green hair in his angsty teen years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 21:28:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13983675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerd_Queen/pseuds/Nerd_Queen
Summary: Leo goes on the Ella De Vries show and winds up telling his life story post Pyeongchang





	Who Tells Your Story

**Author's Note:**

  * For [seriousfangirl97](https://archiveofourown.org/users/seriousfangirl97/gifts).



> YUP THIS IS ANOTHER ONE OF SERIOUSFANGIRL97'S BIRTHDAY FICS CONGRATS SWEETIE YOU'RE OLD NOW  
> Leo's coach in this is called Rhiannon and she's married to his choreographer Claudia.  
> Rhiannon is Dominican and Claudia is from PR.

Leo sighed, running his hand through his long, sweaty hair and sweeping it quickly into a messy bun, leaning against the barrier of the rink as he watched the other skaters looping and spinning around the rink in practice.

He’d arrived home from Pyeongchang a couple days ago now, and the jet-lag was starting to seep away bit by bit. He’d travelled a lot in the past decade of his competitive career, and he’d been to Korea before, but he’d never get used to the 16-hour difference. If Phichit was still training in Detroit and dating Seung-Gil, Leo had no idea how those two could manage the time 14-hour difference, but then again, he and Guang-Hong had built a strong friendship with a 15-hour difference.

Things had changed since he’d arrived home. More people had begun to recognise him on the street, stopped him for pictures and autographs; but he just assumed that’s what the Olympics does to your career.

 _“Takes it from black and white to IMAX.”_ He remembers Phichit grinning after the opening ceremony.

He knew he probably shouldn’t be practicing right now, considering the massive pancake shaped bruise on his hip and thigh from flubbing too many jumps in his short programme. He winced at the memories.

US national champion three years running, high personal bests, had the top performance out of the American men in the team event. But he choked up in the singles. Twentieth place. Seeing the scores on the jumbotron, remembering his coach, Rhiannon, and his choreographer, Claudia wrapping their arms around him and holding tight… it stung.

The Olympics hadn’t been all bad, though. He managed to skate to Hamilton in front of the world, he was the first openly gay Latino athlete to compete for the USA in the Olympics, he was one of the three openly gay athletes competing for the USA. He rocketed up from twentieth place to eighth place. JJ skated his best and won Canada the gold in the team event. Otabek had continued his mother’s legacy and won silver in the singles event. Yuuri had won gold and broke his own records. Leo had met so many wonderful people and made so many new friends and connections.

 _Including a boyfriend_ , he noted to himself with a small smile as his phone buzzed in his hand.

 **Guang-Hong** **©: good morning,** **亲~ <3**

Leo smiled, quickly typing back a reply.

**Me: shouldn’t you be asleep? It’s the middle of the night.**

His phone buzzed with another reply.

 **Guang-Hong** **©: And shouldn’t YOU be resting? Don’t lie I know you’re at practice. And with that bruised hip??? Why do you do this to me ;0;**

Leo frowned, feeling a little guilty. He knew he should be resting, and he’d argued with his coach, parents and sister about taking time off. But he was a month away from the World Championships. He couldn’t risk it, not when it was this soon. Leo chewed his lip.

 **Me: I know,** **cariño. I’m sorry. I’m not doing any jumps today. Just figures and choreo. I promise.’**

 **Guang-Hong** **©: That’s not the point!! You should be resting :(**

Leo sighed. Guang-Hong wasn’t wrong, but Leo knew he’d be restless at home, especially since he’d be all alone since his parents would be at work and his sister is still on tour with the marines. There were times where Leo didn’t mind being on his own but now wasn’t one of them.

**Me: Worlds is a month away and I need to come back strong from that mess at the Olympics.**

**Guang-Hong** **©: But not to the point you hurt yourself and wind up having to withdraw from the Worlds. And please stop blaming yourself for that. It could have gone so much worse and it was your first Olympics, you were under a lot of pressure and it will be better next time. I love you too much for you to let you get hurt :(**

Leo felt his heart clench in his chest. Guang-Hong knew him too well and knew how to talk him down when he was being a stubborn ass, which evidently, he was being at the moment.

**Me: I haven’t been here long and I’m cross training after lunch, I promise I won’t over-do it.**

**Guang-Hong** **©: You should be resting, Leo.**

The one thing Leo didn’t want right now was to fight with Guang-Hong. He’d been pining after Guang-Hong for so long, he was terrified to lose him.

**Me: Compromise. I go home after lunch and cancel cross training but still do some yoga and stretching in the afternoon.**

**Guang-Hong** **© is typing…**

Leo chewed his lip worriedly. He probably looked weird, leaning against a wall with his Olympic team jacket tied around his waist as he stared at his phone, brows furrowed in worry.

 **Guang-Hong** **©: Take a hot bath and put an ice pack on that bruise and we have a deal.**

Leo sighed in relief, smiling at the screen of his phone and typing out his reply.

**Me: If it hurts I’ll stop. Now you should be sleeping, mi alma. It’s very late.**

**Guang-Hong** **©: Ugh fine I’ll go to sleep but only because I love you and I’ll be able to talk to you longer if I sleep now.**

Leo chuckled to himself. Despite being 19, Guang-Hong could still be adorably petty and childish at times. He could imagine Guang-Hong’s soft freckled cheeks puffing in frustration at the screen.

 **Me: Love you too, mi** **sirenita <3 **

**Guang-Hong** **©: Stoooop the pet-names are making me blush!!!**

 **Guang-Hong** **©: Love you x**

Leo grinned at his phone, shutting it off and setting it aside onto the rink barrier, pushing off gently to slowly trace figures into the ice, but as he lifted his head, he caught the maroon gaze of his coach.

“Um. Rhiannon, hi?” Leo smiled awkwardly.

_Oh god. Please don’t kill me._

“You’re at practice without your coach or choreographer while jetlagged with a minor injury. Leo de la Iglesia, what the hell am I going to do with you?” Rhiannon sighed, pinching her brow.

“I’m sorry…?”

“An apology shouldn’t be a question, tramposo.” Rhiannon said firmly, arms folded.

“I wasn’t going to do any jumps. I promised Guang I’d take it easy. Just go through some figures and choreo.” Leo replied exasperatedly. He’d literally _just_ dealt with this.

“I trust you on that, and while I am a little annoyed you didn’t tell me you were here, it’s not why I’m here. I’ve been looking for you everywhere and of course I find you at the rink staring at your phone with a love-sick expression.” Rhiannon teased.

“I do not have a love-sick expression.” Leo huffed defensively, tucking a loose lock of dark hair behind his ear.

“You look at him as if you two were a married couple seventy years deep. Don’t even try and lie to me.” Rhiannon snickered. Leo sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Why are you here again?” Leo asked flatly, trying to ignore the blush seeping into his cheeks.

“You got a call to appear on the Ella show.” Rhiannon replied.

“I what?” Leo asked in disbelief. “I got a call to be on one of the biggest talk shows in the world? This is a joke, right?”

Rhiannon shook her head, grinning and placing her hands over Leo’s forearms and squeezing his wrists tightly.

“No, they want you as a guest. Ella asked for you personally, she saw you at the Olympics and heard your story and wanted you on the show.” Rhiannon grinned.

“Tell them I accept. When do they need me to fly out to Burbank?” Leo asked excitedly.

“They want you to fly out by Saturday. They want you on the next episode. They said they wanted to give you time to recover from the jetlag before flying you out to Cali.” Rhiannon informed. “Travel and accommodation will be taken care of.”

“Can I take you with me? Like, as moral support?” Leo asked.

“Well I’m basically your PR manager so of course. It does mean I’m leaving Claudia with the dogs, but they can handle a weekend without me.”

“Awesome!” Leo grinned. “I can’t wait.”

 

\---

 

Leo had been on talk shows before, especially in the lead up to Pyeongchang and as the reigning US champion, he’d had his fair share of morning talk show appearances, but this on the other hand, was terrifying.

He’d lost track of how long they’d kept him in the make-up chair, coating his face in different liquids and creams to hide the dark circles and bags under his eyes, messing with his dark hair, spraying it and curling it and such.

“You have such long hair for a guy!” The stylist exclaimed, fawning over his locks. “It’s so smooth and glossy too! What do you use?”

“Um… just regular product and coconut oil? Sometimes shea butter?” Leo replied awkwardly. “I had my hair up to my chin a couple years back but the federation said it was too distracting so I had to either cut it off or grow it out long enough to be a pony tail so… I grew it out.”

“Well it’s beautiful, and I’m _living_ for it. Like yes god, you are giving me realness.”

Leo cringed internally. _God,_ he hated it when people said shit like that in real life. He understood people using slang and phrases common in club and LGBT+ culture online and in clubs, but in real life? Just why?

“Okay, honey. I’m done with you for now. Let me just get your jacket. I hope you’re okay with a dusty pink letterman jacket.”

“Um. Yeah. I’m okay with that.” Leo replied, standing up and pulling the bronze medal out of the back pocket of his black skinny jeans, lifting it over his head and slipping it on, the cold weight of the medal heavy against his chest.

“Excellent.” She crooned, motioning for Leo to hold his arms out as she guided the sleeves of his jacket over his arms, stepping back and observing with a satisfactory smirk. “Yes, work honey, work!” she grinned, clapping her hands before pausing. “Yeah. He’s ready. Okay. Leo sweetie?”

_Please don’t call me that._

“Yeah?” Leo replied.

“The set manager is on his way, you’re on in five minutes.” She informed. “Now excuse me, cutie, but I have other guests to doll up.”

Leo nodded, opening his mouth to say something but before any words could even form she was out of the dressing room, swinging her hips as her ridiculously high platinum blonde ponytail swished behind her.

“Damn, is this how it feels to be a proud mother?” Leo heard Rhiannon chuckle from behind him, placing a hand on Leo’s shoulder. “You look so grown up, lindo.” She grinned, pinching his cheek. “To think I first started coaching you, you were just 12 years old. Now you’re 20. You’re a grown ass man.”

“Save that talk for when I’m married, Rhiannon.” Leo snickered, batting her hand away from his face.

“Mr. De la Iglesia?” Came a call.

“Yes, that’s me.” Leo replied, turning around to face a tall, middle aged man.

“I’m the set manager, Devin. You’re on set in three minutes, would you like to come with me.”

Leo swallowed, nodding shakily, following the man through the corridors of the studio until he was in the wings of the set. Leo could see her. Ella de Vries. Lesbian comedian, talk show host, an icon. The face of a generation was sat in a white couch chair opposite where Leo stood, the exact same blonde pixie cut, blazer and denim jeans Leo had watched throughout his childhood. A source of hope in the struggling life of a young figure skater questioning his faith and sexuality.

“Nervous?” Devin asked, smiling warmly at Leo. “You’ve competed at the Olympics, this should be a walk in the park for you. Or a skate in the park. I, uh, should probably leave the jokes to Ella. She’s the comedian.”

“Yeah, I guess I shouldn’t be so nervous.” Leo murmured. “But I grew up with this show. Ella’s always been an inspiration to me. It’s pretty intimidating.”

Devin chuckled, clapping Leo on the back.

“He competed in the Pyeongchang winter Olympics this year as one of the three openly gay athletes for team USA and is the first openly gay Latino winter Olympian.” Leo heard Ella speak brightly. His heart began to pound in his chest as she continued, pacing the set. “Currently reigning US national champion in men’s figure skating, ladies and gents, let’s give a warm Ella show welcome to Leo de la Iglesia!”

“Knock ‘em dead kiddo.” Devin smiled, nudging Leo to step onto the set.

Leo jogged lightly onto the set, waving before breaking into laughter as he heard ‘In the Heights’ seep through the speakers. He was met with an overwhelming, thunderous applause, a few people whistling and cheering as he took his place in the seat opposite Ella, grinning and waving before reaching to shake Ella’s hand.

“Hi there Leo, great to have you on the show.” She greeted warmly.

“G-Great to be here.” He stammered in reply, smiling.

“You look terrified.” She noted with a smile.

“Oh, I am.” Leo admitted.

“Really? How come?” She asked, sitting back casually into her seat, crossing her legs.

“Well, y’know I’ve met a lot of people I look up to, people like Viktor Nikiforov and Christophe Giacometti- names I am willing to bet most of the people here and at home have no meaning to- but I grew up with this show. You just being you, getting to watch you every Monday night after a long day of practice and school was something so powerful to me. Particularly as I got older and discovered that I was gay, you just existing was like this beacon of hope and power to me, y’know. It gave me the courage for me to be, well, me.”

“We’ve literally just started and already it’s just gotten deep.” Ella chuckled, hand on her knee.

“Um. Sorry about that.”

“No, no, don’t apologise. Something I have always found amazing as a TV personality, and an LGBT+ person is hearing the amount I’ve changed people’s lives, how I’ve helped them and affected their lives. It always warms my heart, y’know it’s something that never grows old.”

“Definitely.” Leo nodded.

“And then there’s people, athletes like yourself and Adam Rippon and Gus Kenworthy who are out and proud and are a beacon of hope for a whole new generation of young LGBT+ people, and I think that you, in particular, Leo, are going to be instrumental in that. You’re the first openly gay Latino winter Olympian. That’s an incredible feat at only 20 years old, you’ve made Olympic history and you’ve paved the way for another young athlete- scratch that, _athletes_ to try and be like you. For performance you have, every talk show like this one, every news article or social media post, there is a young person, whether they are LGBT+ or of colour or both they feel like they can do anything because you had the drive to be where you are today.”

“In all honesty, I never really saw myself as someone ‘ground-breaking’ or ‘history making’. I’m rarely on the podium, I don’t have any world records. I’m just a kid from Denver who saw Johnny Weir and Rudy Galindo on TV and started begging my parents and abuela to let me go along to my sister’s skating lessons. I know people that are history making and ground-breaking. Otabek Altin, a personal friend of mine, he’s ground-breaking. The first man from Kazakhstan to win a silver in Olympic figure skating. Phichit Chulanont, another friend of mine. The first Thai figure skater to do a lot of things. Yuri Plisetsky was the youngest GPF gold medallist ever and he broke a longstanding world record in the same weekend. Viktor Nikiforov is the most decorated figure skater in history. Yuuri Katsuki, his fiancée consistently breaks records and won the gold. I’m just me, really.”

Ella grinned, shaking her head and turning to the audience.

“He’s a humble one, isn’t he folks?” She chuckled before turning back to Leo. “So, what were the Olympics really like? Any funny stories?”

Leo sighed, turning towards the audience.

“Where the heck do I start?”

“Well, what was it like on the ice, competing in Pyeongchang for the first time for the team event?”

Leo sat back, pursing his lips.

“Well, what would you say is the scariest thing you’ve ever done?” Leo asked. “Like a moment you feel would be the culmination of your career, something you’ve waited your whole life for and when you get there you’re like oh _crap this was a mistake._ ”

“I’d have to say hosting the Oscars a while back. I remember staring at everyone and thinking; this is it, I’m gonna spontaneously combust or something.” Ella replied with an easy smile, the skin around her eyes crinkling as she beamed at Leo.

“But that’s exactly it!” Leo said excitedly, snapping his fingers. “I’d waited my whole life, all ten years in the international circuit for this moment and when I’m finally there, I look at the judges and I feel like that one guy in a cop movie who’s like; I didn’t sign up for this man!”

A wave of laughter rippled through the audience, Ella chuckling opposite Leo.

“I was freaking out in the warm up, and I was like; oh man, I didn’t think it’d be like this? Why did I sign up for this?” Leo explained. “Then Viktor, who I’ve probably mentioned like, three times by now is like; ‘oh do not worry about it, it’s like any other competition.’ Bear in mind, folks, this is his _fourth_ Olympics. Number four. And he’s won gold three out of those four times, and I’m just looking at him like are you kidding me?!”

The audience laughed again, Ella grinning at Leo.

“And don’t get me started on the singles. It’s tough to have the fate of your whole team on your shoulders, but when you’re on your own it’s just that much more terrifying.”

“You didn’t do too well in your first individual skate, did you?”

“That, Ella, is an understatement. In the past couple years, the lowest I’m used to ranking is like, eighth place, then all of a sudden I’m qualifying for the free skate- which is the second half of the skating event- by the skin of my teeth.” Leo answered, leaning forwards so his elbows touched his knees, the medal swaying softly away from his chest. “It’s like being thrown into cold water on a hot day. It’s a shock to the system, and to me, it was a massive blow to my self-esteem.”

“You walked into the women’s bathroom after your scoring.” Ella noted.

“Well, I wasn’t thinking properly. But I wasn’t violently kicked out, more gently ushered out by Mila, who was the women’s gold medallist. Someone did scream though, still feel bad about that. But at least I didn’t fall asleep in the kiss and cry like Otabek?” Leo shrugged.

“Yeah, that might have been a little embarrassing.” Ella laughed. “What happened with him? Was he partying all night?”

Leo chewed his lip, raising his brows.

“Well. Um. I’m gonna put this in the most PG way possible… There was a lot of noise. Coming from Viktor and Yuuri’s room. Like enough noise that most of the village was kept up all night.” Leo replied with a laugh. “At one point, Otabek got so sick of it he took the mini amp/stereo thing he brought with, plugged in his semi-acoustic guitar outside their room and started playing guitar riffs to drown them out.”

“Oh my goodness, really?” Ella asked, eyes wide in disbelief.

“No, really.” Leo nodded. “JJ, who’s our Canadian skater friend- he’s a bit like my brother and so is Otabek- comes in and starts drumming on the wall and I started singing. People were filming, it was pretty funny.”

“I bet they weren’t happy about it though.” Ella replied.

“Yuuri was so mad at us! He stepped out and unplugged the amp, flipped the bird at us and slammed the door in our faces!” Leo laughed.

“I can imagine. You mentioned JJ and Otabek were like your brothers?”

“Yeah,” Leo grinned. “I’ve known them since I was a kid. I met JJ in church when he moved to Colorado when he was about seven years old, on Christmas morning. We were sat together in the pews and he looked so lonely so I offered to be his friend. Otabek, on the other hand I befriended when I must’ve been around thirteen or fourteen, he’d just moved from Russia and he was so shy.”

 

\---

 

“Alright, kids, I have a special announcement!” Rhiannon called, her voice echoing throughout the rink as she clapped her hands, catching the attention of JJ, Leo and the other skaters in the rink, waiting patiently as the skaters all followed one another to where she stood and the gate of the rink. “We have a new kid joining us today, he’s moved here from Kazakhstan to train and he’s still learning English, so you guys be patient with him and helpful.”

Leo stood dutifully amongst the other skaters, noticing the small, skinny boy with choppy, uneven black hair falling into his intense, almond shaped hazel eyes stood timidly behind a middle-aged man.

“Everyone, meet Otabek. He’ll be training her with his coach Nurlan from now on.” Rhiannon informed, motioning for the boy to come forward. “Wanna say hi, buddy?”

The man turned to him, murmuring softly in a language foreign to Leo’s ears, squeezing his shoulder and smiling down at him gently, causing the skinny boy to step forward shyly.

“H-Hello.” He stammered quietly, accent thick and voice soft. “I-I am Otabek. Otabek Altin.” He said, wringing his hands nervously. “I-I am a skater from Kazakhstan, I am in the juniors. I-I am looking forward to training with you all.”

“I am Nurlan, Otabek’s coach. Please, don’t be a stranger. I am here to help as much as any other coach.” The man said, stepping forward. He shared a quick glance with Rhiannon, murmuring something quickly and nodding.

“Okay, that’s all. Get back to work. Boys, I don’t want to see any of you juniors attempting quads, that’s bad for your bones; JJ I’m looking at you.” Rhiannon said firmly.

“Aw c’mon!” JJ whined, exasperated.

“Girls, I trust you’re smart enough to not be like the boys. You lot are usually more sensible. Pairs, be careful with all holds and throws, make sure the ice is clear when you’re gonna practice that.” Rhiannon said crisply, ignoring JJ’s complaint and clapping her hands. “Okay! Dismissed.”

“She’s right, y’know.” Leo said as he and JJ skated to the end of the rink. “You keep drilling these quads this young then you’ll be retired by your first Olympics, and that’s if you don’t have any serious injuries before.”

“I know.” The Canadian huffed impatiently, crossing his arms in frustration. “But she’s not letting me express myself, she’s not letting me do it JJ style.”

“Because at the moment it’s too reckless.” Leo reasoned. “Your idea of a style is technical aspects that are too dangerous for you to perform as a thirteen-year-old and you know it.”

“… Why do you have to always be right?” JJ sighed, head snapping towards the centre of the rink as the quick, clean snick of a perfectly landed jump sounded through the rink.

The new kid, Otabek, was gliding along the rink, long, lanky limbs flowing with him as he skated backwards, pushing off of his right foot and raising his left, leaping into the air, arms drawn tight to his chest and spinning through the air and reaching his right foot down to land, wobbling and tumbling onto the ice.

“Ouch. That looked bad.” JJ winced.

Otabek sat on the ice, clutching his arm. Without thinking, Leo skating towards the younger boy, crouching down to be met with a scowl.

“Do you need help?” Leo asked carefully.

“I do not need your… your… um… um…” He stammered, thick brows knitted together in frustration as he searched for the correct word.

“Charity?” Leo supplied.

“Yes. That. I do not need it, I can help myself. I do not need pity.”

“I’m not pitying you, I’m being friendly. Do you want me to help you up or leave you alone?” Leo asked, offering his hand.

The boy stayed quiet, cheeks red but the scowl fading, tentatively reaching for Leo’s hand. Leo smiled, helping the other boy up and making sure he was completely balanced before letting go, watching the other boy dust the ice shavings off his training clothes.

“Thank you.” He said quietly. “Thank you for helping me… um, I am sorry, I do not know your name.”

“Leo. My name is Leo. And the boy over there in the red shirt is JJ.” Leo said, pointing to himself and then JJ.

“Coach Rodriguez said he was practicing quads. He looks young.” Otabek noted, looking over to JJ cautiously.

“Well. He’s Canadian.” Leo shrugged.

“And that means?” Otabek asked in confusion.

“He’s dumb.” Leo said.

“What does his nationality have to do with how intelligent he is?” Otabek asked, brows furrowing.

“It was a joke.”

“I am not sure if I follow.”

“That’s okay, it wasn’t a very good one.” Leo smiled, clapping Otabek on the back, noticing the boy stiffen and jolt away as if he’d been burned. “Oh! Sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“I-it is alright, I am just not too fond of being touched.” Otabek said quickly. “So, um. Leo, friends?”

“Yeah, sure.” Leo grinned.

 

\---

 

“Really? That’s such a sweet story.” Ella smiled. “Isn’t it, folks?”

The audience ‘Aww’ed in agreement, sharing wistful glances.

“So what became of your terrible trio then?” Ella asked, leaning forward in her seat. “Any funny stories?”

“Well, we were always known as the three musketeers. We travelled in trio, we were in a lot of the same competitions. We were as thick as thieves. I’ve been the responsible one for as long as I can remember.” Leo said easily.

“You seem like a very laid-back person, I’m sure most people would expect Otabek to be the responsible one.” Ella commented. “What made you the responsible one?”

“Let’s just say I was the voice of reason when those two came up with a crazy idea.”

“Really?”

“Ella,” Leo chuckled, sitting forward in his seat. “There’s a reason Otabek is able to pop his shoulder straight back in after dislocating it. I love him like a brother but he was a maniac as a child.”

“He can do what?!” Ella gasped.

“You know how you’ve always had that one friend who had a broken nose and always clicked it to annoy people? He’s like that. But with his whole arm. Freaked out the entire Kazakh Olympic team. Like if he just wanted personal space, he’d click his arm and everyone would rush to the other end of the room.”

“Really?”

“Yes! Sometimes I’d watch him do it in the cafeteria or something and think; man, I wish I was crazy enough to mess up my arm at least once.” The audience chuckled. “He’s not as crazy now, he’s a lot more mature and reserved. Besides, we have a way to stop him from doing anything risky.”

“Care to share?”

“Well, he’s close friends with Yuri Plisetsky, who is a Russian figure skating prodigy I’ve mentioned a couple times. Only 16 and he has so many gold medals and records under his belt, it’s incredible. And Otabek is like his best friend, and Yuri looks up to Otabek and tries to emulate what he does. So after our events had ended, there was a party and at some point Otabek, the lovable maniac, was on the roof of his team cabin and we were telling him to get down, but he was refusing. And then Yuri goes; ‘Oh hey that looks fun wait for me to get up there.’”

“He didn’t go up onto the roof, did he?” Ella asked worriedly.

“See, this is how Yuri is Otabek’s safety mechanism. Because before the sentence was even finished, Otabek was back on the ground like no, no, absolutely not.” Leo explained, much to Ella and the audience’s delight. “Yuri’s like a reality check for him, it’s pretty funny how quickly he changes around him.”

“Kids; so useful.” Ella joked. “How about childhood? Any stories from then?”

Leo tilted his head, racking his brain for any memories.

“Minsk, Belarus. 2012 Junior World Championships. It’s not so much a funny story but it was a moment that really, y’know, solidified this brotherhood we have today.” Leo clarified. “We got stuck in an elevator and it’s how we found out about Otabek’s claustrophobia.”

 

\---

 

The three boys stumbled into the elevator, backpacks slung over their shoulders as they joked and laughed, excitement buzzing in the air.

They’d made it. Finally made it to their first Junior Worlds. They knew they probably weren’t going to make it to the podium, they’d be lucky to place in the top ten, but after years of hard work they’d finally qualified for their first World Championships, and that’s what had mattered.

“Wait, which floor are we on again?” JJ asked, looking at the panel of buttons.

“Tenth.” Leo supplied quickly, JJ nodding and pressing the button, the automated doors sliding closed.

“Can you believe we actually made it?” JJ grinned, stepping back. As the oldest of the three, JJ had (and always will have) a couple inches over Otabek and Leo, but his height made up for his maturity, to a degree.

While he was the oldest, JJ was always the most reckless and short-tempered out of the trio, being constantly reprimanded by their coach and his parents for attempting quads at such a young age instead of brushing up on his artistry. He had no problem standing up to authority, but listening to it was an issue that seemed to constantly come up in training.

“Yeah, it’s pretty unbelievable.” Otabek smiled quietly, running a hand through his recently emerald dyed hair.

As the youngest of their trio, Otabek was timid and quiet. Responsive and attentive to the criticisms and guidance of his coach, though was less flexible than the other boys in the rink, which presented is a handicap when it came to spins. But what Otabek lacked in flexibility he more than made up for in physical strength and intensity of performance, not to mention his stiff determination to succeed.

“You’re telling me!” JJ grinned, beaming at Otabek and taking his hand, squeezing it. “You’ve been on a roll this season, man!”

To say that JJ and Otabek’s friendship had begun on a rough start was an understatement, in Leo’s opinion. The American doubted the unlikely duo would have become so close if it weren’t for him, as the two seemed to be two different to bond, but as time drew on the quiet nature of the Kazakh boy seemed to balance out the Canadian boy’s confident enthusiasm and the two had become very close.

Close enough, in fact that some may no longer consider their bond just friendship. But they were just kids, so it could have been something different entirely.

“Thank you.” Otabek returned quietly, a sliver of a smile on his lips. “You have been doing very well this season, too.” He trailed off before adding with a slight stammer; “B-both of you.”

The elevator slowed to a stop, the lights above them flickering briefly.

“Oh man, our floor already?” JJ asked.

“…it’s not.” Leo said, glancing at the LED display signifying that they were currently between the sixth and seventh floors. “Guys, I think we’re stuck.”

Otabek paled, eyes going wide.

“We’re _what_?” Otabek asked.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. We can just press the alarm, and they’ll come and get us.” JJ said calmly, rubbing Otabek’s back soothingly.

“Yeah, that’s probably the best solution.” Leo nodded, pressing the yellow alarm button. “See? They know we’re stuck, it’s gonna be okay, man.”

Otabek pursed his lips, nodding shakily.

“It’s gonna be alright, they’ll probably be here in the next fifteen minutes. Then we can go to our rooms and watch movies and eat room service.” JJ cooed soothingly. Otabek glanced at him, his worried gaze softening as he looked up at JJ.

The lights flickered before shutting off completely, bathing the trio in darkness suddenly.

“You just had to jinx it, didn’t you, JJ?” Leo sighed exasperatedly.

“It’s okay, I got this.” JJ said quickly.

JJ stamped his foot, the elevator shaking as his sneakers lit up, rainbow lights flashing from his feet.

“WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!” Otabek screamed in the darkness.

“I was trying to help, calm down.” JJ shot back.

“Ay Madre de Dios,” Leo sighed exasperatedly. “Otabek, take a deep breath and try to calm down, JJ I know you were trying to help but stomping your feet in a stuck elevator is literally the worst thing you can do.” he said, holding his arms out. Silence fell around the elevator, the only sound present being Otabek’s slowing, panicked breathing. “It’s gonna be okay, just, sit down slowly and remain calm.”

“Always the rational one.” JJ murmured, sitting down slowly.

 

Leo had no idea how long it had been, but it had definitely been more than a couple minutes. He blinked, eyes still struggling to adjust to the darkness as the other two boys sat with their backs to the elevator.

Heightened by the darkness, his ears picked up a soft murmuring in a foreign language. He didn’t understand it, but it seemed familiar. As he cast his mind back, he recalled the first time he met Otabek. The soft murmur of harsh, rolling phonetics reminded him of the exchange between Otabek and his coach all those years ago.

_Otabek._

“Otabek?” Leo called into the darkness.

The murmuring stopped, a sniffle replacing it.

“Otabek, are you okay?” Leo asked carefully.

“I-I am fine.” Otabek stammered, voice hoarse.

“Beks. Please don’t lie to us, we’re your friends. You don’t have to pretend around us.” JJ said quietly.

“… I… I can’t breathe.” Otabek admitted. “I feel like I can’t breathe. Being stuck here… too many memories… I want them to stop. I want it all to stop…”

Leo reached out, fingers brushing Otabek’s shoulder.

“Is there anything we can do?” Leo felt Otabek shrug against his hand. “Do you want a hug or do you want to be left alone?” Leo felt Otabek grip his hand.

“Stay. Please don’t go.”

“Buddy we’re stuck here, we don’t really have a choice.” JJ joked. “But we’re here for you no matter what.”

“Y-yeah.” Otabek said shakily, exhaling deeply. “I’m feeling a little better.  I’m just, not good with small, enclosed spaces.”

“We’re gonna get out of here, even if we have to Mission Impossible our way out of it.” JJ said.

“Mission Impossible is _so_ bad, JJ, _why_ do you like it?” Leo sighed.

“It’s a great franchise!” JJ reasoned.

“Tom Cruise gives me the creeps.” Leo replied, scrunching his nose.

“He’s a badass who does his own stunts.” JJ returned.

“He’s a misogynist and a scientologist.” Otabek countered quietly.

“He is? Well _damn_ , never mind then. You guys win.”

The click of claves sounded, soon followed with the sounds of traffic. Leo scrambled for his bag, following the sound and feel of the vibrations with blind, fumbling hands.

_“Light’s up on Washington Heights, up at the break of day-”_

“Leo, your phone is ringing.” JJ said, stating the obvious.

“Thank you Captain Obvious I didn’t realise because my ears apparently didn’t register my ringtone.” Leo huffed sarcastically, fumbling for the zipper of the front pocket of his rucksack.

He pulled out his phone, flipping it open to reveal the caller ID.

Rhiannon. Oh thank god.

“Hey.” Leo greeted. “What’s up?”

“Dios mío, Leo, I’ve been trying to reach you for nearly an hour.” Rhiannon sighed from the other end. “Where are you boys?”

“Really? Um, well, we’ve been stuck in the elevator.” Leo replied. “We rang the alarm ages ago but nothing happened.”

“For forty-five minutes?” Rhiannon asked.

“Yup. We’ve been stuck here for that long and they haven’t come to get us.”

“I’ll head to the front desk and talk to management. This is unbelievable. Unacceptable.” Rhiannon muttered. “Hold tight, okay? You guys can get whatever you want for dinner, and they’ll probably give it to you for free out of guilt.”

“Um, okay? Is this goodbye then?”

“For a couple minutes. I’ll call you back.”

“Okay. Bye then.”

“I’ll sort this out. Bye.”

The call cut out and Leo pocketed his phone.

“Rhiannon’s going to the front desk. We’ll be out soon.” Leo informed the other two boys.

The lights flickered back on, revealing the other two boys sat on the carpeted floor of the elevator.

“Oh, thank god.” JJ sighed, tipping his head back against the wall.

“Yeah, you can say that again.” Otabek said quietly.

As Leo sat down, he could see the Kazakh boy’s cheeks were streaked with tears and his eyes were bloodshot, knees drawn up to his chest and hands gripping his knees, tan knuckles yellow with the intensity of his grip.

“Hey,” JJ said softly, shifting over to Otabek. “You okay? Answer us honestly, we can take it.”

“We’re your friends, hermano, whatever you need to say, whatever’s on your mind, say it. We’re here for you.” Leo added, sitting down next to Otabek.

“T-thanks…” Otabek said quietly, wiping his eyes and giving them a watery smile. “You guys are the best.”

“We try.” JJ grinned, ruffling Otabek’s emerald tinted hair.

“Stop that!” Otabek laughed, smacking JJ’s hand away playfully.

“What, you don’t like it when I touch your hair?” JJ teased. “Your beautiful crop of spinach?”

“Oh screw you.” Otabek chuckled.

 

\---

 

“We got out about ten minutes later. Rhiannon, my coach had apparently shouted at management for ignoring a distress call from three children.” Leo said easily, sitting back in his chair.

“I DID!” Rhiannon called from the wings.

“Thanks mom, love you.” Leo called back. “She is basically my aunt though, it’s pretty funny.”

“So, you mentioned that this year’s silver medallist, Otabek Altin, had green hair as a teen?” Ella asked curiously.

“Oh, my god.” Leo said, clapping his hands. “Otabek is like the biggest glow up you’ve ever seen!” The audience whooped and whistled with laughter. “No! Really! He went from being small and skinny with a little bit of pudge on his face, acne, uneven green hair and train-track braces, to being ripped with tattoos and perfect, smooth, clear, tanned skin with perfectly styled hair and a jawline that could cut glass. And this was in the space of two years as well. Puberty didn’t hit him like a truck, it hit him like a bullet train running at top speed.”

“If you haven’t noticed, I’m a lesbian, so, uh, can’t relate.” Ella laughed jokingly, the audience splitting into peals of laughter.

“Literally everyone in the Olympic village wanted to hook up with him, and he turned them all down. He’s replaced Viktor Nikiforov as the heartbreaker of the Winter Olympics.”

“Has he now?”

“The amount of people I saw walking away from his door in defeat was staggering, men and women. Like, it was insane.”

Ella pulled out a couple blue flashcards from her blazer pocket.

“So, you are currently single, right?” Ella asked.

“Yeah I- wait. No. No I’m not. I do actually have a boyfriend now.”

“Really?” Ella asked. “Well forget this whole segment then, no need to ask you about your celebrity crushes.”

“Well, my boyfriend was my celebrity crush for a long time.” Leo admitted bashfully.

“Was he now? Would we know him?”

“Uhhh if you watch figure skating you would?”

“Are you allowed to share?” Ella asked.

“Yeah.” Leo nodded. “He’s a Chinese figure skater, Guang-Hong Ji.” The audience cooed and whistled, Leo grinning and putting his hands up. “I know, I know. An openly gay Latino feminist is dating a Chinese man. Together we’re everything Donald Trump hates.”

Ella threw back her head, laughing loudly, the audience booming along with her, a few people shouting and cheering.

“So how did that happen between you two?” Ella inquired.

“Well, as figure skaters we all grow up together as we progress through the sport, so Guang-Hong was one of my closest friends for a long time. We were both pining after each other but we got together the night after the Short Programme ended.”

 

\---

 

After the disastrous short, with a throbbing hip, Leo had locked himself in his room.

Being one of the athletes fortunate enough to have a room, Leo had still slipped in his earbuds and hit shuffle on his Hamilton playlist, allowing the music to drown out the sounds of his sobbing.

At some point along then, he had drifted off to sleep, and was now being awoken by a weight on his lap, the soft, dulcet tones of Jasmine Cephas-Jones’ voice crooning to the lyrics of ‘Say No to This’ as his eyes, feeling like they were made of lead, pulling themselves open.

“Mnh JJ fffuck off… don’t wanna party…” Leo slurred sleepily.

Gentle hands pulled his earphones from his ears, pausing the music with a click of Leo’s laptop.

“Not JJ.” A sweet voice cooed.

Leo blinked slowly, hearing the bedside lamp click on and watching a soft yellow glow bathe the room. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw.

Guang-Hong was sat above him, hair tousled with a gentle smirk playing on his plush lips, a soft blush decorating his cheeks and highlighting his freckles-

 

\---

 

“You, uh, y’know what?” Leo said awkwardly, clearing his throat, feeling his cheeks burn a bright crimson. “I just remembered this story isn’t exactly G-rated so I’m just gonna… yeah can we change the subject.”

“Sure thing buddy.” Ella chuckled, squeezing Leo’s knee. “So, both of your skates this season have been to songs from Hamilton.”

“Yes! Yes they have!” Leo said excitedly, sitting forwards in his seat. “Hamilton and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s work has always been everything to me. He’s someone I really admire.”

“Care to elaborate for the folks at home?” Ella queried. “Or maybe Lin himself?”

“Well, I went to see In the Heights when I was visiting my relatives in NYC, all the way back in 2008, ten years ago. I actually won my first national title with the opening number, so it’s very special to me. But what’s always amazed me about Lin is his determination. There weren’t many parts for him on Broadway, so he wrote them himself. He’s constantly going, never one to sit idle. That’s what inspired me. The only Mexican-American figure skater I had ever seen was Rudy Galindo, another person I always looked up to, because of these people, I had the drive to be where I am today.” Leo explained.

“And who is Rudy Galindo?” Ella asked. “I’m not sure I’ve heard of him.”

“He used to skate with Kristi Yamaguchi back in her pair days before they split off into singles. The ’96 US champion, oldest champion in history. Mexican-American, struggled with poverty but strived for success. Coached by his sister, openly gay and HIV positive. He’s sadly a blip in US figure skating history, but his passion, his artistry, it always inspired him. As an openly gay, Mexican-American figure skater, I want to continue this beautiful legacy he has. I want to be to other Latino kids starting in figure skating what he was to me. A champion, a legend, but forgotten. We remember and will remember skaters like myself, like Adam, like Johnny Weir, like Eric Radford, openly gay and champions in their own rights. But Rudy Galindo was forgotten, left behind in history while his title collected dust when he was a legend in his own right.” Leo said, leaning against the arm of the armchair.

A loud applause sounded throughout the audience.

“You’re good at giving speeches, aren’t you?” Ella beamed. “You could be a great motivational speaker, ever thought about that once you retire?”

“I have no idea what I want to do when I’m retired.” Leo shrugged honestly. “But, hey, thanks for coming to my TEDtalk on gay Latino figure skaters and whitewashing in the American figure skating history of the late 90s. You can get my signed premature autobiography and a tote bag with my face on it on the way out.” Leo joked.

“You are just too much, Leo. Y’know when I saw you in Pyeongchang, I just knew I _had_ to have you on the show. It’s been a pleasure to have you here.” Ella smiled.

“It’s been a pleasure to be here! It’s always been my dream.” Leo beamed back.

“Well, that’s our time. Don’t be stranger, okay? You’re welcome to come back whenever.”

“Great. See you next week.” Leo grinned, standing up. Ella laughed with the audience, taking Leo’s hand and raising it.

“Folks, Olympic bronze medallist, three-time US champion, and an inspiration to the new, future generations of Americans; Leo de la Iglesia!”

The audience cheered, Ella pulling Leo into a tight hug before releasing him and allowing him to walk back into the wings, waving to the audience.

Once he was backstage, the crew removed his mic and he relaxed with a deep exhale.

“How was that?” Rhiannon asked, smirking at Leo.

“Fucking awesome.” Leo grinned.

**Author's Note:**

> comments give me validation  
> Tumblr; nerdqueensblogbitches.tumblr.com


End file.
